My Two Cents is a weekly opinion column from Bethesda resident Joseph Hawkins. The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of BethesdaNow.com.
de·li·cious (diˈliSHəs), adjective, highly pleasant to the taste.
A recent cupcake from a Bethesda establishment that I will not name tasted like a Hostess cupcake from back in the day. Not a good thing.
I admit I have never been about the cupcake crazed-thing of standing in line for 45 minutes to buy one to eat later. The whole experience just did not live up to the hype. Well, hallelujah and praise the lord — the French and a Belgian are now firmly planted in Bethesda and ready to perhaps make some of us turn our backs on cupcakes.
My sweet tooth is really excited about Tout de Sweet Pastry Shop (7831 Woodmont Ave.), Fresh Baguette (4919 Bethesda Ave.), and both of Bethesda’s two Le Pain Quotidien locations — one in the Wildwood Shopping Center at 10217 Old Georgetown Rd. and the other at Bethesda Row 7140 Bethesda Lane.
It is worth reading the back stories to each establishment. The French roots of Tout de Sweet and Fresh Baguette are genuine, and the beginnings for Le Pain Quotidien can be traced back to Belgium.
With its French macaroons alone (spelled with a single ‘o’ by Tout de Sweet), my money is on the Woodmont Avenue shop to get Bethesdians to forget all about cupcakes. I have not tried all 29 flavors, but the ones I have popped in my mouth tasted genuinely like the intended end result — salted caramel, coffee bean, pistachio, lavender, and red velvet each tasted like the real thing. Tout de Sweet’s pricing is a little on the high side, but that pricing matches life in Bethesda.
Fresh Baguette is not just about French-inspired bread. Originally, I went in to purchase bread — which is outstanding. But I fell in love with the sweets, especially the tarts. I’m a sucker for a lemon tart, and the lemon tart at the recently-opened bakery is airy with just the right notes of sweet lemony sourness.
I also tried the chocolate ganache tart, and it is also a homerun. Around here, chocolate ganache often ends up being a gooey brownie mess, but not this tart. This tart is worth arm wrestling my wife for. You can drop $20 and leave with sweets and a baguette.
Both Bethesda locations of Le Pain Quotidien pretty much serve an identical menu of sweets and breads. I’m in love with their pistachio tart. I think it is called a tart only because of its shape. In reality it’s a small tasty cake lightly drenched in a pistachio syrup and covered with ground pistachio nuts. And if you just cannot live without something that looks like a cupcake, try their baby brownies — shaped like mini cupcakes. Pricing at Le Pain Quotidien falls in between Fresh Baguette and Tout de Sweet.
It’s worth pointing out that Tout de Sweet, Fresh Baguette, and Le Pain Quotidien have tables for customers to sit and enjoy their goodies. So, hit the pause button, order up a dessert and a café, and secretly sit and thank the French and a Belgian for making Bethesda home. (Note: Both Le Pain Quotidien locations actually are full-blown sit down restaurants. The food beyond the sweets is really good.)
Photos via Tout de Sweet and the author
Joseph Hawkins is a longtime Bethesda resident who remembers when there was no Capital Crescent Trail. He works full-time for an employee-owned social science research firm located Montgomery County. He is a D.C. native and for nearly 10 years, he wrote a regular column for the Montgomery Journal. He also has essays and editorials published in Education Week, the Washington Post, and Teaching Tolerance Magazine. He is a serious live music fan and is committed to checking out some live act at least once a month.
